


You Make My Heart Race

by loubug



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Casual Sex, Dubious Consent, F/M, Genderswap, Somnophilia, always-a-girl!zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-03-18
Packaged: 2017-12-05 17:47:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loubug/pseuds/loubug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn has been in love with Niall since the begining, but hides it by sleeping with guys that look like him.  Niall knows that he wants Zayn, but he doesn't realise that he's in love with her. Then one night they both give in to their desire for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Make My Heart Race

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as an idea of Zayn playing hard to get until Niall snapped. Then it turned into a monster with lots of feelings that kept writing itself. Somewhere along the way Zayn developed a mild panic disorder. Oops.
> 
> Thank you to [ItsAThinLine](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsAThinLine/) for holding my hand and telling me that this was not crap. And for beta-ing and britpicking this for me. Also to [rubycrowned](http://archiveofourown.org/users/rubycrowned/) for encouraging me to write and finish.
> 
> Disclaimer bit because I'm paranoid: I don't own or know the boys. I'm not making any money off of this. If this is about you or people that you know personally, don't read it, it was not intended for you.

Niall is never lacking in his choice of girls to take home with him these days, because lets face it, he fucks like a champ. The one girl he wants though, is off limits. She's always right at his fingertips, or more accurately underneath them, teasing him mercilessly.

 

The bad thing about being in a band with the girl you want, Niall thinks, is that she has her pick of guys. Not only is every male with access to a computer enamoured with her, there are 3 other fit blokes that she gets on with quite well that would jump at the chance to be with her. The problem with Zayn is that she confuses the hell out of Niall. She's quiet and mysterious half the time, and the other half, she's flirty and mischievous. They've always been overly affectionate as a band, and Zayn makes no exception. Sometimes Niall thinks that she overdoes it just because she can.

 

Zayn is also the horniest girl that Niall has ever had the pleasure of meeting. On tour she has a steady stream of boys coming and going from her hotel room, and on bus nights sometimes Niall swears that he can hear breathy moans coming from her bunk that can only mean one thing. On top of that, Zayn is always pressing herself against him in obscene ways, though you won't find him complaining. His favourite is when she hugs him from behind in excitement. He loves the feel of her small arms wrapped around his middle, and she always bounces on her toes, dragging her perky tits up and down his back.

 

Niall is tired of scanning the crowd of eager fans for jet black hair, none of them ever looking enough like Zayn to satisfy him. None of them can hold a candle to her, because Niall doesn't only want to fuck Zayn, he wants more. Their friendship is so easy, he can't help but think that if they dated, it would be just as easy, and fun. He can't really imagine actually _being_ in a relationship with anyone else.

 

One night in London, Niall is feeling particularly lonely. The five of them have gone out to a club together, but somehow it has turned into the four boys sitting in a VIP booth, all watching Zayn on the dance floor with varying protective looks. Liam is looking borderline angry, while Harry and Louis are looking on with amused watchfulness. She is currently grinding against a sleazy blonde guy, and effectively driving Niall mad. He stands up suddenly, capturing the attention of the others.

 

“Another round lads?”

 

The boys all shake their heads at him, and he begins to walk off in the direction of the bar, shrugging his shoulders in indifference. Niall quickly downs two shots of whiskey, still intently focused on his band mate on the dance floor. She is still writhing against the blonde guy, who is smirking in anticipation of going home with Zayn. Niall scowls in their direction as he considers ordering another shot. He's already reeling a bit though, and he knows that he has yet to feel the effects of the most recent shots, so he decides against it.

 

Niall casts his eyes around the club, desperately searching for a distraction. He sees a petite brunette walking towards him, and sighs in relief. Niall catches the girl's eye and they meet a few feet away from the bar. He holds out a hand and wordlessly leads her onto the dance floor, somewhat close to where Zayn is dancing (if you can call _that_ dancing). Niall pulls the girl towards him, her back flush with his chest. She starts grinding against him, and in his mostly drunken state, Niall can almost pretend that the girl with her arms around his neck is Zayn.

 

Niall is definitely feeling the last couple of drinks, and so when the girl who looks more and more like Zayn with each passing second pulls him towards the door of the club, he follows without resistance. She is whispering in his ear, but Niall can't make out what she's trying to say over the pulsing music of the club. Niall pulls out his phone and texts the lads and Zayn that he's leaving, then hurriedly pulls the girl out the door to hail a cab out on the street. Once inside the cab, the driver looks expectantly back at the two of them. The girl, whose name he has yet to catch, looks at him with hopeful eyes, and Niall rolls his eyes. He's so worked up from watching Zayn all night, that going back alone is not an option. He rattles off the name of the hotel to the cab driver and leans down to speak into the girl's ear as the car starts to move.

 

“Wanna come up to my room tonight?”

 

Niall pulls back and looks into the girl's eyes, grinning filthily at her. She giggles and nods her head, her cheeks slightly flushed in excitement. The cab ride is blissfully short, and Niall tugs the girl into the elevator, anticipation building inside of him. He pushes her up against the wall once the doors close and presses his lips hard against hers. They spend the entire ride up exploring each others mouths, and Niall can feel his dick begin to harden. The girl slots a leg in between his, and rubs her thigh against his length. Niall groans at the contact, his head thunking forward against the wall of the elevator, just as the tell-tale ding signals their arrival on the correct floor.

 

As Niall fumbles through his pockets for his room key, the girl presses herself against his back in a way so reminiscent of Zayn that he can't help but groan and turn around in her arms. He leans back against the door and smiles sweetly at the girl.

 

“You have to tell me your name before we can go inside,” he teases. She giggles and drops her forehead on his chest. She reaches down and palms his cock through his jeans as she says her name in a low rough voice.

 

“Shayne,” and of fucking course her name would rhyme with Zayn thinks Niall, snorting a bit at the irony. He tilts Shayne's head up and bends down to meet her lips in the middle. He drags her into the room and pushes her up against the door, hungrily attacking her neck.

From then on, everything is a blur of limbs, and there is a steady thrum of arousal low in Niall's belly. He takes out all his pent up longing and sexual frustration out on Shayne, fucking her fast and hard. Somewhere in the middle of it all, he remembers that Zayn is in the next room over, having picked the room attached to his. He doubles his effort to make Shayne feel good, and is rewarded when she screams his name as she finishes. He comes soon after, groaning at the thought of Zayn hearing evidence of just how good he is in bed. 

 

* * *

 

Zayn has kept one eye on Niall all night, discreetly watching him watch her. She makes a special effort to dance as provocatively as possible, hoping that tonight will be the night that Niall snaps. She wants him, but she wants to push him to the edge. She wants him to be unable to control himself, powerless to stop himself from claiming her as his own. She's heard stories from the girls that he's slept with, and she wants Niall to be as worked up as possible, because if she only has one chance with him, she wants it to be good. Zayn has wanted Niall since they were pushed into a band in the whirlwind that was The X-Factor. She fell in love with him in all the spaces between, in the quiet moments when it was just the two of them.

 

When Zayn sees Niall making his way to the bar, she feels a mixture of anticipation and guilt. She knows that Niall has already had a few pints here, not to mention the three shots that they had all (minus Liam) downed in Louis and Harry's room before coming out. Zayn knows that she is the reason that Niall is currently gulping down another two shots. She spares a moment to feel the tiniest bit proud of how worked up she has him, until she sees him pull a short brown-eyed girl ( _slut_ her mind screams) onto the dance floor relatively close to her. She can feel the jealousy burning through her veins, and she turns around to face her dance partner, unable to make herself watch Niall with someone else. She loses herself in the music, but when she looks for Niall after a few songs and sees him walking off the dance floor with the girl he had been dancing with, she tugs her own dance partner to the bar to buy her another drink. Zayn gulps down a fruity shot that her partner has bought her, and she looks over towards where she last saw Niall dancing. She is distracted before she finds him, by the buzzing of her phone in the pocket of her denim mini skirt. 

 

She flips it open to find a text from Niall.

 

_Going back to the hotel, see you tomorrow... x_

 

Zayn squeezes her eyes shut quickly and then opens them to glance at the exit just in time to see Niall walk out the door hastily with the brunette in tow. She grimaces and turns back to the bar to order a double shot of something strong. The blonde guy she's been with all night pays for her drink, and as she feels the alcohol hit her, she decides that she's ready to leave. Zayn stands on her tiptoes and leans in close to the guy's ear.

 

“You wanna get out of here? My hotel isn't too far,” she purrs, her voice soft and seductive. He nods his head and pulls her towards the door. As they're waiting for a cab, she pulls out her phone, while the guy (she doesn't care to know his name) brings her flush against his chest and settles his arms low around her waist. Zayn unlocks her phone and opens the text from Niall to reply to all of the boys at once.

 

_im out too. good luck sleeping tonight, its gonna get loud. aha xxx_

 

She slides into the cab and tells the cabdriver the name of the hotel. The boy next to her mouths at her neck, and in her drunken state, she can't bring herself to care about what the cabbie thinks of them, desperate to get back to the hotel. Next thing she knows, the blonde is slipping a tenner through the window and tugging her into the hotel lobby.

 

Once inside the room, Zayn wastes no time ridding them of their clothes. She goes through the motions of heartless sex, just hoping to get off by imagining that it's Niall above her. Suddenly she realises that hers aren't the only moans that she's hearing. She quiets herself, and listens harder, and yeah, she can definitely hear the sounds of sex coming from Niall's room next door. The female sounds are getting louder and louder, and Zayn feels the jealousy course through her, almost drowning the desire pooling in her belly. She refocuses on the task at hand, and only moments after hearing the girl (slut) scream Niall's name, her orgasm rips through her.

 

When she comes down from her high, she sees the boy moving to pull the covers back to get in the bed. Zayn grimaces and puts an arm on his wrist to stop him.

“No, you need to go,” she says in a stern voice. He looks at her a bit incredulously, but she just stands and stretches, turning to make her way to the bathroom.

 

“I'm taking a shower, you need to be gone when I'm done.”

 

Zayn doesn't bother to wait for a response, just closes the bathroom door behind her and sets to making the water in the shower as hot as she can stand. She throws herself into her post-sex routine, scalding hot shower, scrubbing herself clean viciously, calling down to room service for fresh sheets, and falling into the bed tiredly. She drifts asleep to thoughts of Niall, as always, love songs dancing in and out of her dreams.'

 

* * *

 

Niall wakes up to the buzzing of his mobile on the bedside table. He picks up his phone to see 3 new text messages, one from Zayn, and two from Liam. He looks at Liam's first, knowing that it will tell him what they're doing for the day. Sure enough, Liam's texts inform him that they have an interview in two hours, and then it's a bus day. They'll be travelling to a new city, not to arrive until early morning.

 

Niall's movement seems to have woken the dark haired girl next to him. She groans and pulls a pillow over her head. Niall shakes his head and pulls the pillow away, shaking the girl into consciousness. He needs her to leave so that he can get ready for the day.

 

“Time to get up love,” he says loudly. “I have to be ready to go soon, so you should be getting home.” Niall searches through his suitcase for something suitable to wear for the day, and goes about packing his things from around the room. He hears the girl start to get up and hopes internally that she won't be one of the clingy ones that wants to hear from him again. To his surprise, she dresses quickly and only pauses once she has the door open, about to walk out.

 

“Thanks for last night,” she says playfully, winking and then turning to walk out the door. He chuckles to himself and continues his final sweep of the hotel room. He grabs his phone again and sees that he has an hour left. He unlocks his phone to check Zayn's message from last night, hoping that it doesn't tell him what he knows it will. His heart sinks when he sees proof that she didn't leave the club alone last night, and his blood boils as he wonders if the bloke in question is still in her room.

 

Niall knows logically that since he has the room adjoined to hers, he should check and make sure that she's woken up and getting ready for the day, but he's hesitant to barge in and find her in bed with some tosser. He swallows his anxiety and walks over to the door separating him from Zayn. Slowly opening the door, he calls out to Zayn gently, warning her of his impending approach. He hears noises coming from the bathroom, so he figures it's safe to go in.

 

“Zayn, I just wanted to make sure you were up,” He says, loud enough that she has to be able to hear him over the hum of her blow dryer. He bites back a laugh when he hears her drop the dryer and start cursing. She walks out of the bathroom with a frown on her face, a pink skirt and black lace bra her only wardrobe.

 

“Dammit Niall, you know how easily I scare,” she half yells at him. He smiles sheepishly and shrugs his shoulders, trying to look as much like an innocent puppy as he can. Her face softens, and he can tell that he's won this battle. Niall looks around and takes in the clothes covering the bed, and the shoes scattered all over the floor.

 

“Um Zayn love, do you want me to help you pack up? You do know we have to leave in like 30 minutes right?”

 

She simply rolls her eyes at him, nods, and goes back to the bathroom to finish drying her hair. Niall begins by folding all the clothes on the bed and laying them out to be packed. He then gathers her shoes and lines them up next to Zayn's shoe suitcase. She tells him that she wants to wear a white shirt, so he puts all the other clothes into her regular suitcase, leaving all the white tops on the bed for her to pick from.

 

Niall walks over and leans in the doorway of the bathroom, only half listening to Zayn talking about the upcoming leg of the tour. As he watches her expertly apply her makeup, his eyes travel down her body, his breath hitching when he realises just how much skin is on display. His eyes are drawn to the black heart on her hip, and his mouth starts watering at the thought of tracing it with his tongue. Zayn steps back from the mirror and bats her eyelashes a few times before apparently deciding that she's satisfied. She shakes her hair back behind her shoulders again and holds her lips in an o shape to apply her blood-red lipstick.

 

Niall is startled out of his trance by a loud knock on the door accompanied by Liam's voice telling them they have ten minutes to check out. Zayn is still smacking her lips together as she hurries by him, over to the bed to pick a top. She finishes dressing quickly, unfazed by Niall's silent presence. They finish packing her things and step out into the hallway to have a bodyguard take their things to the bus.

 

The interview is rushed, and the five of them are ushered onto the bus where they settle in for a day of boredom. Harry and Louis are cuddled up on the couch in the back of the bus whispering in each others ears. Liam is sitting towards the front of the bus, his laptop out, trying to skype with Danielle. Zayn has wandered towards the bunks, and Niall assumes that she's planning on sleeping for a few hours. He pulls out a book from his backpack and opens it to a random page, pulling a piece of hotel stationery out of his pocket and placing it inside the book to study it.

 

_Call me next time you're in town. :) - Will_

 

Niall reads the words on the paper a few times, completely disregarding the number scrawled underneath it.He'd swiped the paper from Zayn's bedside table at the hotel, hoping that she hadn't seen it yet, and he could throw it out without her knowing. He sees Zayn walking towards him from the bunks, and he quickly turns the page of his book, pretending to read. She has changed into a pair of grey joggers that Niall is pretty sure used to belong to him, and a blue tank top thing that he knows she got at a lingerie shop. Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and she's washed off all her makeup from this morning.

 

Niall is struck by how gorgeous Zayn is when she isn't trying, it well may be his favourite look on her. She sits down next to him tucking herself into his side, and his arm reaches across her shoulders on instinct. She lays her head on his chest and yawns before nuzzling her face against him, getting comfortable.

 

“Niall?” She asks. He murmurs his acknowledgment to her question, and looks down at her, waiting for her to speak.

 

“Did you see a piece of paper with a phone number on it in my hotel room?” He shakes his head, internally wincing at the lie.

 

“Oh, ok,” she continues. “I could have sworn I saw it when I woke up this morning.”

“Nope, sorry. Whose number was it anyway?” He asks her to soothe the burning jealousy in his chest.

 

“Oh no one, just that boy from last night,” she answers him with a shrug of her shoulders. He seethes at her words, tensing up underneath her.

 

“No big deal,” she assures him, nuzzling her nose into his chest again, trying to relax him. Niall slowly lets go of the anger, and takes deep breaths to keep himself from saying something he doesn't mean. When he's finally calmed down, he looks down to see Zayn's eyes closed, her breathing slow and even with sleep. He smiles and strokes a hand through her hair, unable to help himself. He settles more comfortably against the back of the couch, and loses himself in his thoughts while Zayn sleeps.

 

It's been an hour or so when Zayn gradually starts moving, but Niall can tell that it's a dream rather than her waking up. He strokes her hair again, hoping to calm her, but she shakes his hand off restlessly. He freezes when Zayn moans, his heart beating faster at the possibility that she's having some sort of sex dream. She whimpers softly, and he can see her press her legs together tightly. He drags his gaze up her body, taking in her hardened nipples, and the slight furrow of her eyebrows. Niall knows he should wake her up, but instead, he moves the hand resting on her shoulder to gently cup her breast.

 

Zayn's notorious for being a deep sleeper, hard to wake, and Niall is glad of that fact when she simply presses herself into his touch, another low moan escaping her mouth. He glances over to where Liam had been sitting, only to find the seat empty, and when he chances a glance towards the bunks, he can see that Liam's curtains are closed. Niall holds his breath as he slides his hand down her body, coming to rest low on her stomach, his thumb rubbing the sliver of skin showing softly.

 

Zayn shows no signs of waking, so he cautiously dips his hand under the waistband of her sweatpants. She lifts her hips up into his touch, and all thoughts of stopping fly out of Niall's head when his hand meets damp lace. He pushes the thin scrap of fabric aside, and moves his hand lower to run a finger along her slit. His breath hitches when he feels how wet she is, and when his thumb circles her clit, Zayn ruts her hips up to meet his hand.

 

Niall slips one finger into her, and is rewarded with breathy groan. He pulls out and adds a second finger when he pushes in again. He keeps a constant pressure on her clit with his thumb as he works up a rhythm with his fingers. Her muscles start to flutter around his fingers, and he pumps in and out just a bit faster, trying to push her over the edge. He brings his other hand up to pinch at her nipples, and then Zayn is falling over the edge.

 

“Niaaaaaaaall,” she moans, and he stops breathing for a moment when he hears his name fall from her lips. He is spurred into action, and before he knows it, he's moved from underneath her to on top of her, his lips pressed to hers roughly. Zayn's eyes fly open at the intensity of the kiss, but instead of pulling away like he expects her to, she simply wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back with just as much fervour.

 

* * *

 

Zayn's eyes snap open when she feels Niall's lips on hers. She lets out a surprised gasp and feels his tongue slip into her now open mouth. As she begins to wake up, Zayn realises that Niall has three fingers inside of her, and that her body is still having the aftershocks of an orgasm. She wiggles her lower half against his hand still touching her, and he moves away as if he's been burned. She gazes up at him in confusion, and relishes in the flush decorating his face.

 

“I –You were moaning, and I just – I put a hand on your tits, and you didn't wake up, and you just seemed – I mean, like you wanted to get off, and then I was touching you, and you still weren't waking up, and then you said my name and I couldn't help myself, and _shit_ – Zayn, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. Please don't hate me.” His words are rushed, and by the time he's done, his eyes are pleading with her.

 

Zayn rolls her eyes and grins wickedly at him, because how has Niall not picked up on how much she wants him? He lets out a sigh of relief and pulls her to his chest, causing her to let out a small yelp when he inadvertently squeezes her oversensitive breasts hard against him. He pulls back, looking concerned, and she simply runs a hand over one, wincing slightly in explanation. Niall smirks at her and then gets up and stretches. He bends down to whisper in her ear.

 

“When we get to the hotel Zayner, I'm gonna fuck you so hard you won't remember your own name.” When he pulls back, Niall is looking innocent as ever, and Zayn can feel the blush blooming in her cheeks and creeping down to cover her chest. He walks to the bunks and smirks at her once more. His fingers are still obscenely wet with her juices, and before he disappears from view, he brings them to his mouth and sucks.

 

Niall's actions remind Zayn of the wetness she can still feel between her thighs. She follows the same path as Niall, and finds that the curtains are drawn around four of the five bunks. She busies herself with changing into a pair of shorts she stole from Louis, not bothering with underwear. Zayn is buzzing with energy, so instead of climbing into her own bunk to sleep, she makes her way to the back of the bus.

 

In the following hour, Zayn occupies herself by beating all the lads' records on MarioKart before her mind begins to wander. When she finds herself going backwards on one of the tracks, she gives up and goes back to the bunks, checking twitter as she walks. After wading through her timeline, she shoots off a tweet that she thinks sounds equally mysterious and deep. The boys all seem to still be asleep, and Zayn figures she should probably get some sleep too, especially if Niall is planning on keeping his promise.

 

Zayn's bunk is cold and lonely, and she knows she won't be able to fall asleep like that. Niall's curtains have parted slightly, and Zayn smiles to herself as an idea grows in her mind. She draws Niall's curtains all the way apart, and sees him curled up with his back against the wall, eyes shut, and breathing evened out with sleep. Her stomach starts flipping in a way that she has come to associate with just how much she loves him.

 

She lays down next to Niall and presses her back against his chest, her stomach flipping again when his arm automatically wraps around her waist, and he shifts in his sleep to fit himself around her. Zayn sighs in contentment and can feel her body begin to settle, her nerves and energy fading away. She drifts off to sleep, dreaming of Niall kissing her sweetly.

 

* * *

 

Niall wakes up slowly, his mind gradually coming into awareness before his eyes slowly blink open. The first thing he sees is a mess of black hair tucked underneath his chin. Waking up curled around Zayn is nothing new to him, not by a long shot. It isn't uncommon for Zayn to climb into bed with any one of the boys, whether it be in the bus, or a hotel. Niall likes to think that she chooses his bed most often, but it's not like he's keeping track or anything. He pulls out his phone from the small shelf in his bunk and checks the time. It's getting to be evening, and he's starving, but he's not too keen on the idea of waking Zayn up in order to get food. Instead, he tightens his arm around her and presses soft kisses to her neck, testing to see how asleep she is. She makes a small noise that can only be described as adorable, and shifts slightly, wiggling her arse against him. She snuffles quietly, and her breathing slows, telling him that she's just fallen into a deeper sleep.

 

Niall deems it safe enough to get out of the bunk carefully without waking her. Once he's straightened himself out, he checks the other bunks, finding that Harry and Louis are both still asleep, and Liam is nowhere to be found, probably up somewhere reading, not wanting to disturb his sleeping pattern too much. As Niall goes to walk out of the small area, something on Zayn's bunk catches his eye. He leans in an groans when he sees that on top of the blankets are Zayn's sweatpants and a black lace thong, still damp from their earlier activities.

The semi that he'd woken up with has now turned into a full-fledged boner, and he heads to the bathroom, intent on taking care of it. If this is his one chance with Zayn, he wants to last, he wants it to be good, he wants to blow her mind. He's so excited for this, and if he has the chance to make her see him in a new light, well he's going to do everything he can to make sure that happens. He leans back against the bathroom door, blindly unzipping his trousers, palming himself through his pants. He lets out a low groan as he closes his eyes, and remembers the feeling of Zayn clenching around his fingers, tight, wet heat. Suddenly someone pushes against the door, and Niall panics.

 

“Just a minute,” he calls, trying to will away his boner so that he can make himself presentable.

 

“Niall,” Zayn says, her voice husky and low. “it's just me, let me in.” he steps away from the door, unlocks it, and opens it slightly, hiding himself behind it. Zayn smirks at him and slips through the opening. She looks pointedly at his tented boxers, and then slowly sinks to her knees, pushing him against the door once more. His breath hitches when he feels her fingers playing with the waistband of his pants, and he tilts his head back, knowing he'll come far too soon if he watches. Zayn pulls down Niall's pants, and she giggles when his erection bumps against her nose as it springs free.

 

Her tongue darts out, and gathering the pre-come leaking from the head, she makes a small noise of contentment in the back of her throat. Then, without warning, she swallows him down in one motion, and his eyes fly open to look at her in surprise as her nose comes to rest against his stomach. Niall's hands automatically go to Zayn's head, and his fingers clench tightly in her hair even though he knows it must be bordering on the painful side. She looks up at him through her lashes and moans, the vibrations of her throat around his cock causing him to clench his eyes shut and pull her off of him by her hair.

 

“Z–Zayn,” he chokes out, circling his own hand around the base of his cock to keep himself from coming on the spot. She kisses the tip of his cock fleetingly, and then pulls back, resting on her heels.

 

“Let me take care of you love,” she whispers, darting back in to lick a stripe along the vein on the underside of his length. He loosens his grip on her hair and sags against the door in resignation. He lets her replace his hand with one of hers on his cock, and she begins a steady rhythm, bobbing up and down his length with skill. Niall can feel the heat coiling in his belly and tugs on Zayn's hair in warning. When she continues with no sign of stopping, he tries to get out some words.

 

“Zayn – ah – babe – I–I'm gonna c–c–come.” She simply looks at him through her lashes again, and sucks him in until the head of his cock is nudging against the back of her throat. She hums around him, and then he's seeing white, his orgasm overwhelming him. Zayn sucks every last drop out of him, and sits back on her heels once more. He smiles down at her and offers her an had up. Zayn stands up gracefully, kisses him softly on the lips, and disappears out the door.

 

Niall leans back on the door again and tries to catch his breath. His mind is racing with different fantasies, all the things he wants to do to Zayn when they get to the hotel. He tucks himself back into his trousers and splashes some water on his face, hoping to take away some of the redness. He exits the toilet and goes to find Liam and Zayn.

 

Reaching the back of the bus that doubles as their entertainment centre, Niall finds Zayn cuddled up to Liam, watching some Disney film. He feels a surge of jealousy flood over him, and clenches his hands into tight fists to try to contain himself. He distantly hears Liam ask him if he wants to join them, but Niall stomps off without responding. He sits near the front of the bus and stews in his emotions, equal parts anger, jealousy, and excitement.

 

* * *

 

Zayn isn't sure when she fell asleep, but she blinks awake to see Liam gently shaking her shoulders. She lifts her head and quirks an eyebrow in question, wondering why Liam is waking her. He smiles and pulls her to a standing position, leading her towards the front of the bus. The other boys are all standing around the door, rubbing their eyes and shrugging on their backpacks. She belatedly realises that the bus has stopped moving, and shuffles over to Niall and clings to his side as they get ready to transition to the hotel.

 

Niall hugs her close and presses a sweet kiss to her hair. Zayn shivers and tucks in closer to him, and narrows her eyes when Harry wordlessly hands over her purse.

 

“What did you do Styles?” She questions him accusatorially. Harry just smirks at her and shakes out his hair. She moves to smack his arm, but is stopped by Niall's arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She whips around to look at him, her hair hitting Harry square on the cheek, hard enough to sting, and Niall places a small kiss right on her nose, making her forget about her purse, and actually, forget about everything. She can hear Harry, Liam, and Louis cat-calling as they step off the bus, but ignores them in favour of pressing her lips to Niall's once the other lads are out of sight.

 

Niall moves his lips against hers softly and brushes a hand through her hair, smoothing it behind her ears. Instead of the quiff she normally sports, her hair is instead lying in soft waves around her head. His fingers scratch against the short shaved hairs on the side of her head and she groans into his mouth, enjoying the pleasant sensation. Niall pulls away and looks at her regretfully, still moving his fingers against her scalp.

 

“We have to get inside the hotel love, then you're mine,” he growls out, voice low and gravelly. Zayn nods and pulls him out of the bus by the hand. They make it up to their floor easily, and find the rest of the band stopped in the hallway, Paul handing out key cards. Zayn, as always gets the single, with Harry and Niall in the room to her left, and Liam and Louis to the right. Management learned early on that the lads insisted on Zayn being in between the rest of them, their protective sides showing more prominently on tour.

 

She gives Niall a pointed look and then disappears into her room quickly. She finds her suitcases already stood next to the bed, and gratefully unzips one to find her lingerie. She changes swiftly into a red negligee and matching thong, and sits herself delicately on the bed. Pulling her phone out of her purse, Zayn checks for any other messages, then sends Niall a quick message to get him to her room.

 

* * *

 

Niall watches Zayn's door shut, and startles when he feels someone flick his ear. He looks over to find Harry sniggering as he opens the door to their room. Niall tackles him when the door opens, and they fall into a heap on the floor of the hallway. They get up slowly and push each other a few times as they make their way into the room, each flopping onto a gigantic beds. Niall scrolls through his phone, trying to kill time, and he can see Harry smirking at him from the other bed.

 

“What, then?” He asks, wondering what Harry is thinking.

 

“Oh nothing,” he returns, looking as innocent as humanly possible. Niall cocks an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Just, you're obviously smitten with her. Why don't you just tell her how you feel?” Harry offers, looking at Niall sincerely. Niall gapes at Harry, surprised at having been caught. He wasn't aware of how blatant he'd been. He shrugs his shoulders stupidly and is glad when Harry waves a hand at him dismissively and digs in his backpack for his laptop.

 

“I'm going to Liam and Louis', they were talking about doing a twitcam once we settled in.”

Niall just nods his head and watches Harry leave the room, intensely happy that he won't have to explain where he's headed off to when he leaves. His phone buzzes on the bed next to him, and Niall eagerly opens it to see a text from Zayn.

 

_ready when you are big boii. :) xx_

 

His heart pounds in his chest, and his stomach flips madly. _Now or never_ , he thinks, getting off the bed and making a beeline for the door.

 

* * *

 

Niall knocks on Zayn's door and fidgets nervously, waiting for her to open up. His jaw drops when the door swings open to reveal Zayn wearing nothing but a blood red nightie that accentuates her dark skin perfectly. She gives him a coy a look and hooks a finger, beckoning him into the room. He stands in the hallway dumbly for a moment before pushing her back into the hotel room and up against the wall. His hands tangle in her hair as his lips go straight for his throat.

 

Zayn tilts her head back and moans loudly, scratching her nails at the base of his scalp. He kisses down the column of her throat until he reaches her sinful collarbones. He bites down gently, soothing it quickly with his tongue, and sucking lightly, creating a mark that he knows will be there for days. Zayn's nails rake down Niall's back and he pulls off of her neck, leaning back up to pull her into a kiss filled with passion. He sucks her tongue into his mouth and runs his hand up under the nightie to rest splayed out just under her tits. She groans and places her hand on top of his, moving it up so that he's cupping a breast. She gasps when he rolls her nipple between his fingers.

 

Niall can feel himself getting hard, and presses his length against Zayn's leg. She pulls away from the kiss and pushes on his chest, putting some space between them. Niall looks at her in confusion, wondering what he's done wrong. She smiles at him and spins them around so that he's facing the bed. He gets the idea and guides them towards the bed, falling down on top of her when the backs of her knees hit the bed. She giggles and pulls him down for another kiss, biting down on his bottom lip as he pulls away to strip off his shirt. The shirt gets thrown to the floor, and Niall presses himself back against the length of her body, thoroughly enjoying the feel of the silk against his skin.

 

Soon Zayn's nightie goes the way of Niall's shirt, and he finds himself staring at her chest, awed at her beauty. Instead of covering herself up like he has seen so many girls do in this position, Zayn arches her back, pushing her tits up, and smirks at him, seeming to enjoy the scrutiny. He smiles back at her and lowers his mouth to suck a nipple into his mouth, biting and tugging it gently, revelling in her surprised gasp. He palms her neglected breast and kisses down her stomach, stopping when he reaches the waistband of her underwear. He hooks his fingers into the waistband and slowly pulls the scrap of fabric down her legs, tossing it over his shoulder once he's done.

 

Niall moves back up slowly, pressing chaste kisses to her legs as he goes. When he finally reaches her centre, he blows out a hot breath, making her shiver. He kisses each of her thighs gently and she squirms underneath him.

 

“Get on with it Ni,” she breathes, her hands pulling him closer to her by his hair. He gives in and licks a stripe across her opening, circling his tongue around her clit. Her hips thrust up and he chuckles throatily, placing his hands on her hips to keep her from moving. He flicks his tongue against her clit again and runs a finger across her slit, teasing her. He can feel her squirming under his hands, and he smiles into her. He slides a finger into her achingly slow, and relishes in the way that she intentionally clenches her muscles around him.

 

Niall sucks her clit back into his mouth as he eases another finger into her, curling them both upwards. Zayn gasps and arches her back, letting him know that he's found her sweet spot. He curls his fingers again, brushing the same spot as he does so. Working another finger into her, Niall starts up a relentless rhythm, thrusting his hand in and out, and curling his fingers every so often. He keeps his tongue on the tight bundle of nerves sometimes sucking, sometimes ghosting over it with his tongue. Zayn's grip in his hair tightens, and he can tell she's close.

 

He gently grazes his teeth against her clit as he curls his fingers once more and then she's falling over the edge. He lets her ride out her orgasm, and gently laps at her opening until she's tugging on his hair. Niall lets himself be pulled up her body, and she kisses him hungrily. Zayn must be able to taste herself on his tongue, and Niall moans at the thought, growing impossibly harder. He starts rutting against her leg, and he rolls her nipples between the pads of his fingers as the kiss continues.

 

He's losing himself in her kiss, but gets snapped out of it when he feels her fingers fumbling with his belt. She pulls away from kissing him to look down between their bodies, and then his belt is gone, and she's undoing the button and the zip of his trousers in one swift movement. He leans down again to kiss Zayn even as she's pushing at his trousers, trying to get them off. Niall sits up on his knees and hooks his thumbs into the waistband of his pants and trousers, and starts pulling them off. He manages to shuck them off completely and then lays himself out on top of her once more. Drawing her into a lazy kiss, he lets his hands explore her body, one hand massaging a breast, and the other running slowly down her side.

 

Niall pulls Zayn's legs apart gently and rests himself in between them, barely nudging the head of his cock against her. She reaches between their bodies, and wraps her delicate hand around his length. She guides him closer until he can feel her wetness. He looks into her eyes, darkened with lust, and hesitates. Then she is wrapping her legs around him and pulling him a centimetre closer, and when the tip of his dick slides into her he stops thinking and lets his body take over.

 

Niall pushes into her slowly until he is buried to the hilt. It takes all his willpower to keep still and wait for her to open her eyes and nod at him. He pulls back and then thrusts back in, quickly establishing a rhythm. Zayn is looking up at him with bright eyes, her mouth dropped open in pleasure. “Harder,” she gasps, and Niall is quick to comply. He angles his hips more and slams them to meet hers with more force. He grips her hips tightly in his hands, grinning inwardly at the thought of the bruises they'll leave to remind her of tonight. Zayn is moaning unabashedly now, and he can tell that she's close, so he moves a hand down to rub against her bundle of nerves, causing her to squeal slightly.

 

Niall doesn't know how much longer he'll last, and so he rubs his fingers against her faster, desperate to make her come again before him. Suddenly she's screaming his name, and clenching down around him. The exquisite tightness is too much and he comes, chanting her name against her lips. He comes down from his high to see Zayn underneath him, looking thoroughly fucked out.

 

He smirks and congratulates him on a job well done as he pulls out and rolls off of her. She turns her head to look at him next to her, and he can't stop himself from pressing a soft kiss to her smile. Curling himself around her, he pulls her head onto his chest and closes his eyes, exhausted. As he's drifting off to sleep, he thinks he hears her tell him she loves him, and he begins to dream about a future he never knew he wanted.

 

* * *

 

Zayn is still riding her orgasm when she feels Niall pump into her one last time and still, spilling inside of her. She goes boneless underneath him, her eyes closed and totally satisfied. She opens her eyes to see Niall smirking at her, just before he pulls out of her, and she hears herself whimper at the loss. He kisses her gently and cuddles her into him, melting her heart. Her head is resting on his chest, and she can feel his breathing begins to slow, signalling sleep. She's almost positive that he's asleep when she gets the courage to say it, a breathless whisper.

 

“I love you.” He doesn't respond, and her head continues rising and falling rhythmically with each breath he takes. Zayn is so used to a routine after sex that she isn't yet tired, but she's happy, and content to lay in Niall's arms while he sleeps.

 

She can't stop her mind though, racing with thoughts of what will happen when they wake up. Will he pretend it never happened and go back to their carefree banter? She doesn't know if she could take that. In all her plans to seduce him, she's never thought about how this will completely wreck her. Her chest is constricting and she feels like she can't breathe. Just thinking about this meaning nothing to him is hurting her.

 

Her body mirrors her frantic thoughts, and she begins squirming, trying to get further away and closer to Niall at the same time. Niall's arm loosely draped across her midsection tightens and she relaxes instantly as he pulls her close to him. She realises that no matter what, she'll survive, and the band will survive, and she just wants to enjoy this, being with him. Her mind quiets with that thought, and the exhaustion hits her hard. She snuggles into Niall's arms, pulls the duvet over them, and falls into a deep sleep, smiling.

 

* * *

 

Zayn wakes up when she feels teeth at her throat. She opens her eyes, and all she can see is blonde tufts of hair sticking up in all directions. Niall's tongue is working on her neck now, and she knows that Lou will not be pleased with having to cover that mark. She tilts her head baring her neck to him, consequences be damned. When he realises that she's awake, his head pops up so that their eyes are level.

 

He smiles softly at her, and she can't help the grin that graces her lips. Her eyes flutter closed and she leans forward, hoping that he'll get the message and meet her in a kiss. She is rewarded with his lips moulding against hers, and she sighs into the kiss, never wanting it to end. Niall cups his hand around her neck, and tentatively searches out her tongue with his own. She groans as they meet, and rolls her hips up to meet his, his erection bumping lightly against her hip. Zayn smiles and rolls her hips up again, riling him up on purpose.

 

Niall breaks away from the kiss with a growl and pushes her down into the mattress, a wrist in each hand above her head. She gasps at the sudden show of dominance and is pleasantly surprised when his teeth go straight for her tits, marking her full cleavage with several dark bruises. Niall is just reaching down to dip his fingers into her when they hear a knock on the door. Zayn curses out loud, not bothering to hide her disappointment, and calls out for whoever is on the other side to wait.

 

The door swings open revealing Liam rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Zayn's jaw drops and she squeals, trying to cover herself with the duvet and simultaneously hide Niall from Liam's view. Liam looks up when he hears the thump of Niall rolling off the bed and onto the floor just out of his view. He blushes as he takes in Zayn's obviously naked form behind the duvet.

 

“Oh s-sorry Zayn,” he stutters, looking away from her quickly.

 

“S'fine Liam. What d'you want?” Zayn questions him in a sleep rough voice. Niall lets out a low groan, presumably at the sound of her voice, and Zayn watches Liam's eyes grow impossibly wider. His blush deepens, but she can see the protective older brother face that he's pulling as he stalks over to the side of the bed where Niall is still lying on his stomach, tangled in the sheets from the bed. Zayn feebly attempts to stop Liam, but he lightly brushes her off and continues on his path. She shuts her eyes and waits for the inevitable.

 

The first few times she had pulled while on tour, she had let her conquests stay the night in her hotel room. She soon learned that finding an unknown boy in bed with her was enough to set off any of the lads, but none more so than Liam. After the third time Liam ended up punching the guy he found her in bed with, she started kicking them out at night. It's been a while since anyone has found a stranger in her bed, and while they all know that she's no saint, she's sure that the evidence of someone else in her room is angering.

 

* * *

 

Niall resigns himself to the fact that Liam is going to find him, and goes for a bright smile when Liam stands over him, gaping.

 

“'Ello Lee-yum,” he says, dragging his name to try to ease the tension a bit. Liam's surprise quickly turns to annoyance, and he opens his mouth to predictably start in on a lecture. Niall rolls his eyes and gets to his feet, keeping himself covered by the sheet. Liam looks around, finds Niall's pants and trousers, and throws them at him while still managing to continue his rant. Niall pulls on the clothes he's been thrown and makes a face conspiratorially at Zayn as he's pulled out of the room by his arm. As the door is closing, Liam sticks his foot in the doorway and tells Zayn that they have sound check at three.

 

Niall lets himself be dragged all the way into Louis and Liam's room. Harry and Louis look up at him in surprise from their place curled up together on one of the beds. Liam pushes him down into a chair and stands with his arms crossed.

 

“Li, come on. It's not a big deal,” he tries. Because it's not, Zayn sleeps with guys all the time, he sleeps with girls all the time, why should this be any different? Liam glares at him like the difference is obvious, and Niall has the decency to look guilty. He watches the other three exchange significant glances, and he can't help but wonder what he's missing.

 

“Niall, no,” Liam starts. “You can't just go around playing with Zayn's feelings just because you want a shag.” He just gapes at Liam, because if anyone is playing with the other's feelings, it's her. He hasn't thought about it, but now that it's right in front of him he can't help but wonder how _is_ he going to move forward from here? He doesn't want anyone else, not now, maybe not ever, and what if all she wanted was sex?

 

His eyes start to burn, and he looks away from the others instinctually. They've seen him cry before, but this is different. Harry sighs and Niall finds himself looking up at the sound to see him giving Liam and Louis somewhat harsh looks. Niall swallows and tries to find his voice, desperate to hide his vulnerability. 

 

“Zayn doesn't have feelings about the blokes she shags,” he states, his tone more bitter than he had been hoping for. He swallows the lump in his throat, steels his gaze, and looks at the lads, determined to hide his pain at the statement. Harry gives him a sympathetic look and turns on Liam and Louis, jumping to Niall's defence.

 

“They both have feelings,” he says pointedly, moving to stand slightly in front of Niall, a defensive pose if he ever saw one. Liam's eyes soften, and Niall relaxes a bit, secretly glad that he's no longer in trouble. He smiles weakly, and makes to get up from his chair. He lets out a soft sound of surprise when Harry pushes him back into the chair. Liam, Louis, and Niall all look at Harry with questioning eyes, and Harry merely puts his hands up defensively.

“Niall tell them. They don't know, but they need to.” Niall is shocked, he thought that if Harry knew, Liam and Louis would automatically know.

 

“I–“ He starts, cutting himself off in uncertainty. “She's it for me.” Louis gasps, slightly over dramatically, and Liam's jaw actually drops at the confession.

“I don't want anyone else,” he clarifies. “I didn't know that it'd feel like this, but she's all I ever wanted.” He blushes, feeling the heat spread across his entire upper body, embarrassed by how much of a _girl_ he sounds like. Liam looks at him fondly, and Niall feels the sudden urge to go punch something, really hard.

 

“Right, now that we're done with that, I'm going to the gym.” He doesn't wait for anyone to answer him, just gets up and leaves the room as quickly as possible. He returns to his room and changes from last night's clothes into something more appropriate for working out. He reaches for his phone to pick out a playlist, when he realises that he left it in Zayn's room. He groans, but quickly walks the few steps to her room, knocking softly.

 

Zayn answers the door wearing only his white polo shirt, pink lace peeking out from underneath. Niall's mouth runs dry, and he opens and closes it a few times before he's able to get words out.

“I–I think I left my phone,” he manages, staring at his feet. She giggles quietly as she disappears into the room, leaving him standing in the doorway. Just as he's about to follow her in, she re-emerges holding his phone in one hand. He snatches it out of her hand and turns on his heel with a muttered thanks.

 

“Have fun,” she calls after him down the hallway. He chalks it up to wishful thinking that her voice sounds shaky.

 

* * *

 

Zayn watches Niall leave with a frown forming on her face. Wondering what she did wrong, she closes the door to her room and shucks off the underwear she had pulled on for some semblance of decency. She pulls Niall's shirt over her head and throws it across the room, a frustrated noise escaping her. Now that he's acting weird, her heart is aching for their easy friendship, not to mention the possibility of more that she had been hoping for.

 

Crawling under the covers of the still warm bed, she sets an alarm on her phone to wake her up in a few hours. She closes her eyes and tries to fight off the panic building in her chest by counting sheep, a sure fire tactic to help her forget things long enough to sleep. Her sleep is fitful and filled with tense jumbled dreams that she won't remember.

 

* * *

 

Zayn is startled awake by the sound of her phone ringing. She scrambles across the bed to answer the call, a sleepy greeting half shouted as soon as she picks up before she's brought the phone to her ear. She hears Louis asking her to open the door, and she breathes an internal sigh of relief. Where Liam and Harry would inevitably want to try to get her to admit what's wrong, Louis will cheer her up and listen when she's ready to talk.

 

She slips on a big sleep t-shirt and opens the door, letting Louis in. She sits on the edge of her bed and tucks her feet up under her, gesturing for Louis to sit in the chair at the end of the bed. She's expecting him to crack a joke, make light of the situation, but instead he just sits quietly and studies her. Silences are never awkward with any of the lads, but she is beginning to wonder what the point of his visit is. Just as she's about to ask him why he's there, he speaks up.

 

“Zayn,” he begins. “Niall needs to know.” She's shocked at his forwardness. She had only ever told Liam about her feelings for Niall, so she's understandably confused by Lou's knowledge. She is at a loss for words, mouth opening and closing silently. Louis chuckles and lands a gentle fist on her shoulder. She shakes her head vigourously and wonders when this became her life. In love with her best friend, and him the only one oblivious to it. It sounds like the plot of one of the romantic comedies that she hates so dearly.

 

“I'm pretty sure that if you tell him, things will turn out just fine.”

She just stares at him and his stupid shit-eating grin, because _what_? “What?” She repeats the sentiment out loud. He smirks at her, and she finds her words again.

 

“He practically ran away from me a few hours ago, He couldn't even look me in the eye! What about that sounds like turning out fine to you?” Her voice gains volume and hysteria as she speaks, and she can feel herself on the edge of a panic attack, tears welling in her eyes. Louis' face falls as her breathing speeds up and he wraps her into a bear hug.

 

“Babe no, don't do this to yourself,” he says softly. “He was just confused.” Zayn sags into his arms, sobs wrenching out of her throat brokenly. Louis simply hugs her tighter, gently wiping away her tears. “I don't want to lose my best friend,” she whispers. Louis pets her hair and gently kisses her forehead gently.

 

“I'm sure he doesn't want that either. He's probably worried about the same thing, I bet he thinks he's just another one of your conquests.”

 

Zayn blinks at him confusedly. Hope blossoms in her chest because what if Louis is right? All this time maybe Niall's been freaked out about being a notch in her bedpost, not about her wanting too much. She smiles brightly at Louis and wipes away the last of her tears. He smiles back tentatively and then stands and stretches his long limbs. He looks at her questioningly and she nods, letting him know it's okay to leave her. Zayn pulls out her phone and starts to compose a message to Niall.

 

* * *

 

Niall is drenched in sweat when Louis finds him in the gym, still hurling his fists at the punching bag. Louis wraps his arms around Niall and pulls him away from the bag, still swinging. His knuckles are beginning to bruise, and he knows that his eyes must be red from crying. He tries to pull away from Louis' grasp, but he is just held firmer. The blood rushing in his ears finally quiets down a bit and he can hear Louis whispering nonsense in his ear.

 

“What did I _do_?” His voice breaks as he stares at Louis with pleading eyes. He feels his eyes begin to swim and tries to turn his head away. “She's going to want to go back to being friends and I can't do that, not now that I know how I feel about her.” He pulls away, and this time Louis lets him, only to turn him around into a fierce hug.

 

Niall's phone beeps, signalling a new message. He pulls it out of his pocket and feels a wave of panic at seeing Zayn's name. He opens the message tentatively, biting his lip and shaking his head.

 

_can we talk? xxx_

 

Niall smiles despite himself because she's still finished her text with the trademark three kisses, and maybe, just maybe, they'll be okay. He cracks his knuckles out of nervousness, then winces, the fresh bruises smarting at the touch.

 

“It'll be okay, I promise,” Louis says. His eyes are trying to say something more, but Niall is too anxious to try and figure it out. He smiles and taps out a quick response to Zayn.

 

_shower, then yes._

 

* * *

 

Niall knocks on Zayn's door softly, feeling a strong wave of déjà vu wash over him. This time when she opens the door, she's dressed in grey sweatpants that he knows say pink across her arse, and one of his favourite vests, the huge armholes revealing a purple bra underneath. She smiles at him tentatively and beckons him into the room. He follows her in and pulls at the shirt playfully.

 

“Hey, that's mine,” he whines, unable to keep the grin off his face. He's not expecting it when she reaches for the hem and slowly drags it off, revealing inch after inch of tantalising tanned skin. She offers him the shirt, but after holding it out to him with no response, she drops it and places her hands on her hips. His mouth drops open, and all he wants to do is press himself up against her, feel her skin on his. She bites at her bottom lip and Niall can't resist it any longer.

 

He surges forward and replaces her hands with his on her hips, his thumbs dipping below the waistband of her pants to rub small circles into her soft skin. He presses their bodies together and pulls her into a gentle kiss. She breaks away after a few moments, resting their foreheads together. Niall sighs, knowing that they have to talk. He ghosts fingers up one of her sides and brings his hand to rest at the nape of her neck.

 

He lets out a nervous chuckle and Zayn rolls her eyes at him. He grins brightly at her because she's the same playful girl she's always been, and he loves her all the more for it. One of her eyebrows quirk up and a small smile graces her lips momentarily.

 

“Niall,” she starts. “I don't want to lose you as a friend.” He feels his face fall, and his chest tightens almost unbearably. He looks away because he doesn't want her to see how crushed he actually is. He can hear her take a deep breath as if she's about to speak, but he cuts her off.

 

“We can't do this again, we have to forget about it, it'll ruin our friendship.” Niall continues, sounding as defeated as he feels. “Yeah, I get it.” He pulls away from her and tries to put some distance between them, but she follows his movements and stays close. “Yeah, but I don't think I can do that.”

 

* * *

 

Zayn pulls away as if she's been burned, and tears well up in her eyes. Backing herself up to the wall, she starts to panic because she knew this would happen. Louis was wrong, and she fucked everything up by letting this happen. She's gasping for air because suddenly there isn't enough, and she can feel herself begin to shake. Her vision blurs with tears, and she lets out a shaky and shuddering sob as she sinks to the ground.

 

Niall's head snaps around and his eyes widen at the sight of her. He squats down next to her and runs a hand through her hair. Instantly Zayn feels a little less trapped in her head, and the shaking subsides a bit. “Shit.” He curses, and she recognises the look of self-hatred on his face.

 

“Zayn, I didn't mean that we can't be friends, _fuck_ – I don't want to lose you either, but I can't just forget about what happened.” Zayn finally feels like she can breathe again, and her sobs turn into quiet hiccuping breaths. “Was I that amazing?” She jokes, giving him a timid smile.

 

“No–“ she glares at him, “I mean yes, but that's not why I can't forget about it.” She arches an eyebrow at him, silently willing him to continue. “I–“ he starts, fumbling over his words. “Zayn, last night made me realise that I'm falling in love with you, maybe I've been in love with you this whole time.” She feels all the tension leave her body, and she pulls Niall down until he's kneeling in front of her, his knees on either side of her hips.

 

“You bloody idiot,” she whispers fondly. Zayn pulls him down until their lips meet, and they kiss gently, sweetly. He pulls back from her, his face scrunched up in confusion. She rolls her eyes at him and pulls him close again, their lips barely pressed together.

 

“I've been in love with you since we lost the damn competition Niall.” She speaks against his lips, chuckling softly. He surges forward and kisses her fiercely like any space between them is unacceptable. He showers her face with small kiss, and they end up in a giggling heap on the floor. Niall settles on top of her, and they kiss lazily because it seems like they have all the time in the world for this.

 

Zayn feels like she's falling in love with Niall all over again, only this time he's falling with her. She knows that he'll protect her heart with his life, and she is ready to do the same for him. She knows that they'll handle whatever comes their way, rumours that threaten to break them up, press, cameras. All that matters is that they finally figured it out, and they're in love.


End file.
